Ryan isn’t particuraly strict when it comes to the censorship of his players, and as the Jets find themselves just days away from the AFC Championship Game he’s not about to start locking things down.
Just days after calling Terrell Owens and Randy Moss “slouches,” the man known as “Revis Island” was at it again, this time pointing his finger at the Indianapolis Colts. When so many pundits and purists were upset that then-unbeaten Colts pulled their starters when the teams met in Week 16, Revis was apparently just as frustrated. While talking heads across the nation called out Indianapolis spouting about the integrity of the game and the pursuit of a possible perfect record, the Jets’ cornerback was simply disappointed that his team wasn’t given the chance to beat Indy’s “A” -team.
“For you to beat the best, you’ve got to play against them and you’ve got to prove yourself against those guys. And I just think me as well and the team, I just didn’t feel that that was a step for us to be happy about,” Revis told the New York Post about the Jets’ 29-15 win on Dec. 27 in Indianapolis.
That win, coupled with a quartet of fortunate results earlier in the day, gave the Jets control of their playoff destiny. Despite using the game to jumpstart the Jets’ postseason run, the fact that most of the Colts starters were limited to just two-and-a-half quarters of football before Pro-Bowl-bound Peyton Manning gave way to previous-third-stringer Curtis Painter marred the victory for some, even in Gang Green’s locker room.
When Manning left the game the Colts held a 15-10 lead and the Jets only touchdown came on the opening kick-off of the second half, which Brad Smith returned a team-record 106-yards to the house. Still, the Jets felt they had played the then-14-0 Colts evenly and Revis now relishes the chance to face the Indy starters for 60 minutes. The Jets may have validated their spot in the playoffs with back-to-back road wins over the Bengals and Chargers, but the bad taste of beating up on the “B”-team for the last 20 minutes in Indianapolis still haunts them.
“I just feel that I didn’t accomplish what I wanted to do,” Revis told the Post. “I was also mad because I wanted them to stay in the game.”
Though he won’t be looking to return the W to the league like you might a Christmas Snuggie from Aunt Elma back to WalMart, Revis can look for vindication on Sunday when the Jets will be waiting for the Colts’ best shot. And you better believe Manning and company will be ready to deliver.
“I don’t shy away from anything. I don’t think this team does, either,” Revis said. “That [first game] was a situation on their part that the coaches bringing them out and looking for down the road.”
Fortunately for Revis, both teams’ roads are converging again, and it’s safe to say neither the Colts nor the Jets want to see this game decided by Curtis Painter.
